car/rail pass or just renting a car?

It's a matter of preference and where you want to go exactly. There a big crowd here that favors public transporation and it works fine. I alway have a car (but park and forget it the little time I'm in the big cities). I generally rent for month at a whack and might drive three thousand miles or more. I figure, on the average, the car stiffs me for thirty bucks a day (I don't get extra insurnace and get the smallest/cheapest car there is.) I figure the average cost of cas is another twnety-five or thirty bucks. Short-term rentals are going to really up the daily cost; dropping in a second country will clean out your pocketbook. Look at where you're going, consider time spent getting to and using public transportation costs you something per hour, and make a decision.

Thx. Just know how much extra travel time it often seemed to be using the train. Might have to pick the routes and keep on the high-speed line..

Rail passes aren't the value they once were. Nowadays, the best way to save money on trains is through advanced purchase discounts, if available. But not knowing what you want to see and do and the time you have allotted, we can't really answer your question.

Re tickets: probably right on that . We went with the Eurail pass this year as it was our first time on our own and it provided us some peace of mind if we missed a train. Next year we are going to fly into Amsterdam for two days then head down to Brussels than on to Germany. The first two legs of the trip will be pretty simple.. Have to see what I will do from there...

We are from the crowd that loves to drive. France and Germany are easy to drive in, but we get our car after we fly into Paris on the way out. The tollroads and the back roads are lovely in France. We have driven all over the continent and never had a problem.We are photographers and we do travel in April, May, September, and October. Lovely times of the year and not so congested.Send me a PM if you have questions.

Germany is generally very accessible - around 6,000 stations and a very dense rail network - and relatively cheap by train - lots of daypass options that allow 2-5 people to travel for under 30 Euros. It's far more difficult to see the French countryside by rail, which has only spotty service. I'd see Germany by rail, if that's an option, then rent a car at the French border - if you rent and drop off in the same country, you avoid heavy drop-off fees.

Makes sense Russ. thx